Hearty banana bread made with coconut, oats and whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey. Mix in your choice of chopped nuts and dried fruit for extra sweetness and a bit of crunch. Serve with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey for a substantial breakfast or snack. This bread can be difficult to slice; see notes below for how to make muffins instead.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan (see note below on how to make muffins).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in ½ cup shredded coconut, then mix in the chopped ginger, dried fruit, pecans and dark chocolate.

In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, mashed banana, honey, egg and vanilla.*

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup coconut. Top with a light sprinkle of turbinado (raw) sugar.

Bake for until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes or longer. Let the bread cool in the pan before slicing. This bread is dense and not very easy to slice; I found that my sharp paring knife worked better than a serrated bread knife.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my banana coconut muffins, where were originally adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Double Coconut Muffins.How to make muffins: If you want to make muffins, grease your muffin tin or line with muffin liners. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or longer, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Yields about 12 muffins.*Preparation tips: If your coconut oil goes back to its solid state when you’re stirring the batter, just warm the mixture for short 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, just until it is melted again.Recommended equipment: If you're in the market for a quality, non-toxic loaf pan, I love my Le Creuset stoneware loaf pan (shown above). It heats evenly and cleans easily. Highly recommended!Make it vegan: Use either agave nectar or maple syrup instead of the honey. Also, substitute your favorite dairy free chocolate chips for the dark chocolate.